The Regent went out on foot, and all his company except the Laird of Crange, Alexander Hume of Manderston and some Borderers to the number of 200. The Laird of Grange had already viewed the ground, and with all possible diligence caused every horseman to take on behind him a footman of the Regent's guard, and rode with speed to the head of the Langside hill, and set down the said footmen with their calivers at the head of a strait lane, where there were some cottage houses and yards of great advantage.

Which soldiers with their continual shot dropped down divers of the vanguard led by the Hamiltons, who courageously and fiercely ascending up the steep hill, were already out of breath when the Regent's vanguard joined with them. There the worthy Lord Hume fought on foot with his pike in his hand very manfully, well assisted by the Laird of Cessford, his good brother, who helped him up again, when he was strucken to the ground off his feet with many strokes upon his face, by the throwing of pistols at him after they had been discharged. He was also wounded with staves and flacons [a flacon is a beer-can; the throwing of beer bottles in times of internecine stress may thus be seen to have an ancient pedigree.] and had many strokes of spears through his legs; for he and Grange, at the joining, cried to let their adversaries first lay down their pikes, to bear up theirs; which pikes were so thick fixed in others jacks that some of the flacons, pistols and great staves that were thrown by them which were behind, might be seen lying upon the pikes.

Upon the Queen's side, the Earl of Argyle commanded the battle and the Lord of Arbroath the vanguard. On the other part the Regent led the battle, and the Earl of Morton the vanguard. But the Regent committed to the Laird of Grange the special care, as an experimented captain, to oversee every danger, and to ride to every wing, to encourage and make help where the greatest need was.

He perceived at the first joining the right wing of the Regent's vanguard put back and give ground, like to fly, whereof the greatest part were commons of the Barony of Renfrew; whereupon he came to them, and told them that their enemies were already turning their backs, that were behind the rest, and requested them to stay and debate, till he should bring them fresh men forth of the battle.

Whither he did ride in diligence alone, and told the Regent, or alleged, that the enemy were dispersing and flying away behind the little village, and desired a few number of fresh men to come with him. Where he found enough willing, as the Lord Lindsay, the Laird of Lochleven, Sir James Balfour and all the Regent's servants, who followed him with diligence and reinforced that wing which was beginning to fly; which fresh men with their loose weapons struck their enemies in their flanks and faces, which forced them incontinent to give place and turn back, after long fighting and pushing others to and fro with their pikes.

There were not many horsemen to pursue them; and the Regent cried to eve and not to slay; and Grange was never cruel, so that there were but few slain and taken. And the only slaughter was at the first encounter, by the shot of the soldiers that Grange had planted at the lane-head behind some dykes.